It is common knowledge that teachers play a key role in the development of their students' minds and outlook on the world around them. But this oftentimes cliché about the importance of educators never really hits home until a beloved teacher is suddenly gone.

My eyes filled with tears as I listened to the parents of the victims of the shooting in Newtown, Conn., speak out, many for the first time. They gathered to announce the founding of a nonprofit group, Sandy Hook Promise. Their purpose was to engage in the public dialogue about what they called "gun responsibility." They want something positive to come from their children's deaths.

As we plow through this new year head on and heartened, it is a given that we will encounter technology in its newest and most thrilling forms. However, the ever-increasing reliance on digital devices poses some thorny questions about what technology could be doing to our attitudes.

Every December, we at the Journal do a year in review story. Hopefully, you read the 2012 review in Saturday's paper; if not, you can find it online at www.turlockjournal.com. This is always a daunting task as it is more than just a review of the year's top stories; it is also finding the reoccurring themes during the last 12 months.